Certification and Accreditation

Certification and accreditation (C&A or CnA) is a process for implementing any formal process. It is a systematic procedure for evaluating, describing, testing, and authorizing systems or activities prior to or after a system is in operation. The process is used extensively across the world. Certification is a comprehensive evaluation of a process, system, product, event, or skill, typically measured against some existing norm or standard. Industry and/or trade associations will often create certification programs to test and evaluate the skills of those performing services within the interest area of that association. Testing laboratories may also certify that certain products meet pre-established standards, or governmental agencies may certify that a company is meeting existing regulations (e.g., emission limits). Accreditation is the formal declaration by a neutral third party that the certification program is administered in a way that meets the relevant norms or standards of certification program (e.g., ISO/IEC 17024).